I’m increasingly finding myself annoyed with our “I’m so busy” culture.  It’s not the fact that people are busy, that I understand–it’s wearing “busy” like a badge of honor that I’m reacting to.  Why do we do this?

When I’m moving too fast I know I’m more reactive (ask my three teenagers). I don’t make great decisions (or I’m paralyzed to make them at all) and I don’t like the way I feel.  My skin just doesn’t fit.  I don’t like it. I don’t like it one bit.

Last week I was at the grocery store and I was moving so fast that the cashier said, “You must be on your lunch hour, are you in a really big hurry?”  It really struck me that I was behaving that way.  I wasn’t in a hurry at all.  I was actually moving so quickly that I was making someone else uncomfortable.  This encounter has really stayed with me.

When I slow myself down—I like myself better and I can see things more clearly. 

There is always time to take a single breath, or close our eyes even for a second.

When I took this picture today in my studio I was moving frantically.  I then shot the same image after I took a breath and steadied myself.  These images tell very different stories, don’t they?  I’m not saying I’ll never move too quickly, of course I will. However, when I have the awareness I’ll try to slow myself down and see what happens.

I’m hardly a ZEN MASTER.  I’m just trying.